I heard on the news that someone was poisoned after smearing homemade tofu milk. This is actually a very novel thing, because our own tofu brain, no matter what, the ingredients are definitely better, how can it be toxic? In fact, this is not a poison from food, but a kind of "natural poison" produced by tofu during the production process due to fermentation and other reasons, and it is this natural poison that leads to poisoning. Next, I will introduce this "natural poison" in detail.

The culprit of poisoning is called "botulinum toxin". This toxin is secreted by botulinum, which is much more toxic than arsenic and potassium cyanide.

Botulinum botulinum naturally exists in nature, and it can produce heat-resistant spores. Spores are tenacious, and heating and boiling are not enough to kill them. Without oxygen and room temperature, spores will grow into bacteria, and bacteria can produce toxins. Generally speaking, poisoning symptoms appear between 12 and 36 hours, but some of them appear as short as 4 hours and as long as 8 days later.

Symptoms such as blurred vision, diplopia, drooping eyelids, dysphagia, slurred speech and muscle weakness may occur after botulinum toxin poisoning. If not diagnosed and treated in time, it may lead to death. Even if it is diagnosed and treated, antitoxin injection and intensive care are needed, so it costs a lot.

How to prevent botulinum toxin poisoning?

Botulinum toxin poisoning has serious consequences, but fortunately it is not difficult to prevent it. Botox spores need two conditions to produce toxins:

1, isolated from oxygen.

2. Normal temperature (generally between 15 and 57°C).

There are several ways to prevent botulinum toxin poisoning:

1. If food is stored in the refrigerator in time, even if there are botulinum spores, it will not produce botulinum toxin.

2. If the acidity of food stored at room temperature is high (pH value is lower than 4.6), the spores of Botox can't survive. Therefore, if the pH value of food is lower than 4.6, botulinum toxin will not be produced after boiling and sealing.

3, neutral or low-acid food, even if boiled, can not completely kill spores. If this kind of food wants to be preserved at room temperature, it needs to be sealed, heated to above 120℃ in an autoclave and kept for 20 ~ 30 minutes.

Finally, summarize and emphasize:

Botulinum contamination and the production of botulinum toxin are just one of the "natural toxins" that may be produced in food. Different pathogenic bacteria and toxins have different growth characteristics and toxin properties. To prevent these "natural toxins", it is necessary to follow the hygienic operation under the guidance of science in the process of food production and preservation, and don't think that "homemade food is safe". In particular, fermented and pickled foods are prone to pollution. If you lack scientific guidance or are not familiar with the production process formed by long-term experience, don't take it for granted.